


50 Shades of Orange

by Cones_McMurphy



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: #drabbles, F/M, I tagged the side ships that will probably show up, and tragedy, collection, some of these are angsty, things will be warned accordingly in each one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:11:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5237375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cones_McMurphy/pseuds/Cones_McMurphy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.”  -- Kiersten White</p><p>A collection of all the riarkle drabbles and one-shots that I have written and posted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prince Charming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pomerqueen prompted: “we’ve been engaged to be married since we were three but this is the first time we’ve met and your portraits really don’t do you justice” AU

 

> Riley paced her bedroom nervously. The man she had been betrothed to from the day she was born would be coming to see her in less than an hour. “Riley, you need to _breathe_ ,” Maya reassured her. “It’s not like you’re meeting him for the first time. You were best friends with Prince Farkle growing up.”
> 
> “The last time I saw him in person was ten years ago and we were 11 years old,” Riley pointed out, “I feel like I’m going to be sick.”
> 
> “Riles, _breathe_ ,” Maya said firmly, gripping her shoulders, “You can do this.”
> 
> “I know…You’re right. I just..” Riley trailed off and sighed, “What if he doesn’t like me?” Maya blinked rapidly.
> 
> “You’re kidding me, right? Everyone _loves_ you. And, just a reminder, but you and Farkle have been email buddies since his parents’ divorce. He knows you just about as well as I do, even if you’ve only ever seen his face through a pixelated Skype window. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Riley nodded. Maya was right. Everything was going to be—
> 
> _“Riley, Prince Farkle is here!”  
>  _

> Riley froze at the sound of her father’s voice. Maya had to physically drag Riley downstairs to the throne room where King Cory and Queen Topanga were talking to Prince Farkle. _Oh,_ she thought as soon as she saw him, _Skype did not do him justice._ He was much taller than Riley remembered. He was even taller than she was. His hair fell in his eyes a bit, but she could still tell that they were big, blue, and bright as stars. Her nervousness faded at his warm smile.
> 
> “Hey, Riley,” he said softly. She pulled him in for a quick, friendly hug.
> 
> “It’s so good to see you again, Farkle,” she told him earnestly, releasing him from her hold. “Skype and email just aren’t the same.”
> 
> “Not to mention it’s been months since the last time we Skyped,” Farkle agreed.
> 
> “Yeah,” Riley sighed, “But now I guess we won’t have to Skype.” The thought of their upcoming nuptials terrified them both. They were so young, and it had been so long since they’d spent time together. Sure, they had been best friends once, and they weren’t exactly strangers now, but still. It was weird.
> 
> “Guess not,” Farkle laughed awkwardly. A silent tension fell over the room. Neither Riley nor Farkle knew quite what to say yet, especially not with Riley’s parents and Maya watching. The uncomfortable pause stretched out almost a minute until Cory finally cleared his throat.
> 
> “Why don’t we give you two some space to talk?” He led Topanga and Maya out of the throne room. A few seconds passed and then Riley began to laugh and shake her head.
> 
> Farkle blinked rapidly, “What?”
> 
> “This is just so ridiculous. We’re going to get married in a _week_. And then we have to spend the rest of our lives together?! We have to produce heirs, Farkle! I don’t want to produce heirs!”
> 
> Farkle frowned, “Oh.” Riley squished her face up when she realized the implications of what she’d said.
> 
> “Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s not…I _do_ like you, Farkle. But I…I don’t know that I _love_ you.” Riley bit her lip, hoping that he would understand her meaning. He nodded, the momentary hurt fading from his countenance.
> 
> “Right,” he started cautiously, “Look, Riley, if you don’t want to do this, if there’s someone else in your life, that’s fine. We can call this off. Our parents aren’t _that_ ridiculous. I don’t want to hold you to anything you don’t want to do.” Riley gasped slightly. She took a step forward, and put her hands in his.
> 
> “Farkle, stop. We were best friends once, and I trust you. I get along with you. You make me smile, even when you were thousands of miles away and you were telling me corny jokes over Skype. You _know_ me. Any princess would be lucky to marry a prince as charming as you. There’s no one I’d rather be doing this with.”  She looked straight into his eyes and spoke as firmly as she could. She didn’t want him misunderstanding any bit of what she was saying. “I’m just scared. The closest thing to any of this I’ve ever done was dating Duke Gardener’s son Charlie when we were fourteen. I don’t know anything about relationships, let alone _marriage_.”
> 
> “I’m scared, too,” Farkle admitted, before wrapping his arms around her in a tight, warm hug.  They stayed like that, in each other’s arms, for several long seconds.
> 
> “We can do this, right?” Riley asked, burying her head in the crook of Farkle’s neck.
> 
> “I think so,” Farkle took a deep breath, “I hope so.”


	2. The Forest For The Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pomerqueen prompted: "that aging until 18 until you meet your soulmate AU" (Angst with a happy ending)

> “Do you think they know?” Zay asked, his eyes on Farkle and Riley. They were standing in line to get a Latte and a hot chocolate respectively. Their arms were linked, and Riley was leaning into him. They were laughing about something, but neither Zay, Maya, nor Lucas could hear exactly what.
> 
> “Farkle might, but trust me: Riles has no idea.” Maya took a long sip of her coffee. Zay sighed. Maya understood Zay’s frustration. She’d watched Farkle fall in love with Riley, and she watched as Riley was completely oblivious to it. She’d watched Riley bury her own feelings in mountains of denial. It was _ridiculous_. She lived with the guy and she wouldn’t even admit to herself that she was crazy about him.
> 
> “Man, how long will it take? Until Riley gets her first grey hair?” Zay was joking, but Maya didn’t laugh. _Lord save me,_ she thought, _the day Riley discovers her first grey hair_.  She made eye contact with Lucas, who just smirked as if to say, _“Good luck with that, Shortstack.”_ She could not have picked a worse soulmate if she tried.
> 
> “It’s only been a couple years. Riley _just_ turned 22. They’re both still passable for teenagers. It’s understandable.” Lucas shrugged.
> 
> “I think we should tell them. What’s the worst that could happen?” Zay said firmly.
> 
> “Tell whom what?” Riley and Farkle asked in unison before sitting down around the table. The group was silent, all for different reasons. Maya refused to say anything. Zay was afraid of Maya. And Lucas was thinking it through for a moment.
> 
> “Zay wanted us to tell you…”
> 
> “Lucas.” Maya warned 
> 
> “that we think…”
> 
> _“LUCAS”_
> 
> “you’re soulmates.” 

> _“LUCAS FRIAR_ ”  Riley was too taken aback by her friends’ accusation to pay much attention to Maya and Lucas arguing. There was no way she and Farkle could be soulmates. They were best friends, that’s all. They’d been through thick and thin together. She loved Farkle the way she loved Maya. It wasn’t _romantic_. It wasn’t true, deep, crazy love. She was still waiting for that kind of love to come her way. It couldn’t be Farkle. She wasn’t in love with Farkle.
> 
> “I need some air,” she said quietly, almost inaudible over Lucas and Maya yelling. She slipped out of Topanga’s and sat at one of the tables in the courtyard. The crisp November air cleared her head slightly. She felt dizzy, too many thoughts flooding her head at once.
> 
> “Riley, are you alright?” Farkle stepped out of the bakery and sat down next to her, worry all over his face.
> 
> “Yeah, I just…Don’t understand. How can we be soulmates? We’re not in love.”
> 
> Farkle hesitated, “I…”
> 
> “You’re in love with me.” It wasn’t a question. Farkle didn’t even have to respond. The answer was in his eyes. “Oh, Farkle, I’m so sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. You’re my best friend.”
> 
> “I know, Riley. You can’t help how you feel.” Farkle perked himself up, “There’s nothing for you to feel bad about. We’re good.” Riley narrowed her eyes.
> 
> “You’re lying. I _know_ you, Farkle. You always look down when you’re lying. You’re hurting, and I’m your best friend,” she put her arm around her, “I want to be here for you.” Farkle shrugged her off.
> 
> “But you can’t, Riley. Don’t you see? That just makes it hurt more. Just give me some time and maybe a little space.”
> 
> “Anything you need, Farkle. Would it help if one of us moved out?” 
> 
> “I’ll leave. I’ll go stay with my parents for awhile.”
> 
> Riley nodded, “I’m so sorry, Farkle.” 
> 
>  

* * *

>  
> 
> **Three Days Later:**
> 
> Cory opened the door to his apartment expecting to see it empty, but instead he saw his daughter curled up on the couch watching _Stardust_. “Riley? What’s wrong?”
> 
> “Farkle is in love with me and I’m a terrible friend.” Riley sighed, paused the movie, and looked up at her dad.
> 
> “You’re just _now_ realizing he’s in love with you?” Cory sat down next to his daughter on the couch.
> 
> “Maya, Lucas, and Zay said that Farkle and I are soulmates, which I said was ridiculous because I’m not in love with Farkle. I didn’t realized how he felt. He’s moving out, Daddy. How did this happen? I can’t lose my best friend.” 
> 
>  “Riley, calm down,” Cory said warmly. “You’re not going to lose Farkle. You’ve been best friends since the first grade.”
> 
> “But….Won’t things be different? What if Farkle is uncomfortable around me?” Riley sniffed.
> 
> “Things are only uncomfortable if you make them uncomfortable. Treat Farkle the same as always—unless he tells you to do otherwise—and everything will be fine.” Riley nodded and leaned into her father for comfort. “But, Riley, you should really spend some time thinking about how you feel before you make any rash decisions.”
> 
> “I know I’m not in love with him, Daddy. I’d know if I was in love with Farkle.”
> 
> “If you’re sure,” Cory shrugged. He thought for a moment before speaking again, “What does Farkle look like when he’s just woken up?” Riley cocked her head to the side in confusion at the seemingly random question, but answered anyways.
> 
> “His hair always sticks up at weird angles, and his cheek has red lines from his pillow. He sleeps hard. Farkle isn’t really a morning person, so usually when he wakes up he looks like he either hasn’t slept in three days, or has been sleeping for three days straight: disoriented and overwhelmed. But once I get a little coffee in him, he starts becoming human again. I keep telling him that if he went to bed earlier, he might be a little more of a morning person, but he never listens.”
> 
> “Interesting. And who was the last girl Farkle dated?”
> 
> “She was nice enough. A little annoying, though. I don’t know what it was, something about her just made my skin crawl.”
> 
> “Why are you so afraid of losing Farkle?”
> 
> “Because he’s my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without him in my life. Farkle has always been there for me, and I’ve always been there for him. As long as I can remember that’s just how it’s been. I can’t stand the thought of not seeing his smile everyday, of not always knowing that he’s just on the other side of the wall at night.”  Cory nodded as his daughter spoke, amazed at how dense she could be.           
> 
> “I want to show you something.” Cory pulled out his wallet and removed an old picture. In it Riley and Maya were dressed to the nines. Maya’s arm was slung haphazardly around Riley, both of them were so happy. “This is from your senior prom, Riley. This is you when you were eighteen.” Riley remembered the night fondly. She and all her friends had gone as a group. Everyone danced with everyone. It was great. 
> 
> “Why are you showing me this?” Riley had seen that picture a million times before. 
> 
> “Do you think you still look just like you did when this picture was taken?” Riley shook her head.
> 
> “No,” she breathed, “I look…older now.”
> 
> “Yes, you do, Riley.” Riley was silent, trying to process everything. Her friends were right. She had already met her soulmate. It wasn’t any of them, they were her friends. It wasn’t Charlie or any of the people she knew from work or school because they all either still looked eighteen, or were in relationships. But how could it be Farkle?
> 
> “I don’t understand.”
> 
> “How are you not getting this?”
> 
> “I know what you’re trying to say, Daddy. I know you asked me all those questions to get me thinking about Farkle, but…I’m just not in love with him. At least, I don’t think. I guess…I don’t really know what love is.”
> 
> “Life isn’t always perfect, Riley, sometimes it’s messy and confusing. Love is the thing that keeps you holding on when it seems like the whole world is against you. What keeps you going on bad days?”
> 
> “My friends and family,” Riley answered without hesitation.
> 
> “Think harder.” Riley thought for a moment. She thought about the last bad day she had, about how she got through it. She’d talked to Farkle about it, and he made her pasta for dinner and they rewatched the first two Harry Potter movies until she felt better. Her mouth fell open as she finally understood what her dad was trying to teach her.
> 
> “The fact that when I come home after long days, Farkle is there to cheer me up.” Riley looked up at her dad’s knowing smile.  “Dad?”
> 
> “You have to go to talk to Farkle, don’t you?”
> 
> “Yeah.”  Riley gave Cory a quick peck on the cheek,  “Thank you, Dad. You’re still the best teacher I’ll ever have.”

         

* * *

>  
> 
> Farkle sat on the edge of Riley’s bed. Her room smelled like her, like the cherry scented body lotion she used. He hoped he’d be able to move on from her, to come back and still be her best friend without it being so painful. Alone, no longer needing to put up a brave face (even if Riley saw right though it, just like she always did), he let himself cry. “Farkle?”
> 
> “Wh-Riley, what are you doing here?” Farkle sniffed and looked up at her. She seemed slightly out breath, her face flushed. “Did you run here?”
> 
> “I ran up the stairs…I’m so glad you’re here. I need to talk to you.”
> 
> “There’s nothing to say. Just let me pack up my stuff and leave.”
> 
> “Okay, don’t talk, but please, listen to me.” Riley sat down next him on the bed. He automatically shifted to make room for her. “I saw my dad, Farkle. I told him what happened, how scared I was of loosing my best friend. And he did what he does best. He taught me something.”
> 
> “Riley, I’m supposed to be back at my mom’s soon. I was just coming back to grab a few things,” Farkle started to stand, but Riley pulled him back down.
> 
> “Farkle, I told you to listen,” she said firmly, “So listen.”
> 
> Farkle sighed, “Fine. What did your dad teach you?”
> 
> “He taught me what love is.”
> 
> “He… _what_?”
> 
> “He taught me that love is what gets us through when life throws us for a loop. It’s a plate of pasta and a movie marathon after a long day, and two arms around you. Farkle, I was wrong.”
> 
> “I…” Farkle held his breath, trying not let his hopes get up. He still had no idea what she was saying.
> 
> “I thought love was this grandiose thing, but I was wrong,” she sniffed, “I thought you were my best friend, but I was wrong. Maya is my best friend.”
> 
> “Then what am I?”
> 
> “You’re my soulmate.”
> 
> “Riley, are you…Are you saying what I _think_ you’re saying?” The corners of Farkle’s lips turned up in a slight, hopeful smile.
> 
> “I’m in love with you, Farkle.” And then she kissed him and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing back with everything he had. A few seconds passed and then he pulled away.
> 
> “Wait, wait. This isn’t because you’re afraid of loosing me as your friend or something, is it? Because three days ago you didn’t see me in a romantic sense at all.”
> 
> “Yes, I did. God, Farkle, I’m so sorry. I’ve been in love with you this whole time. I just didn’t know it. I was so _stupid_ ,” she almost laughed at herself, “It’s been three days of only seeing you when you come back for the occasional item and look at me, I’m a wreck.”  Farkle’s smile grew.
> 
> “I think we’ve both been pretty miserable.”
> 
> “I’m so sorry, Farkle. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
> 
> “Riley, it’s okay. I’m okay. _We’re_ okay.” He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
> 
> “Everyone’s gonna be so smug about this.”   
> 
> “I really don’t care, darling.” Farkle shrugged, “The love of my life loves me back.”  
> 
> “’Darling?’” Riley giggled, “You called me ‘darling’.”  
> 
> “Is that okay?”
> 
> “Mm, very okay.” She leaned in close, but this time she waited for him to kiss her. This time was slower than before, or maybe it just seemed that way. He took his hand out of hers and cupped her face gently, while she put her arms around his neck and interlocked her fingers. When they were finally broke apart they were both smiling.
> 
> “I love you,  Farkle.”
> 
> “And I love you.”


	3. Made of The Stars OR The First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted: "riarkle at a planetarium"

> “Okay,” Farkle told himself, “You can do this. Just go up to her and say—Riley! Hi!” Farkle had never been this nervous in front of Riley before. He was sure she could hear his heart beating in his chest, it was pounding so hard. He shoved his sweaty palms in his pockets and looked down at his feet.
> 
> “Hey, Farkle. You alright?” Okay, so she noticed. Which was fine, he read somewhere that some girls like it when you’re nervous because that means you care. Not that she didn’t already know he cared, but— _God_ , he thought, _I’m even rambling in my head_.
> 
> “Yeah, I just,” he took a deep breath, “I wanted to ask you something.” Riley didn’t speak, so Farkle continued, “Things have been…different…between us lately, and I know you know what I’m talking about. But, Riley, I’m a scientist. I like hard definitions of things. I need facts. I need to know for sure what we are, and what you feel. So, I guess, what I’m trying to say here is, Riley Matthews, will you go out with me?” Riley seemed shocked at first, but shock gave way to joy.
> 
> “Yes.” Farkle let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
> 
> “Okay, great. Um, how about Saturday?”
> 
> “I have family stuff that night.”
> 
> Farkle shook his head, “No, Saturday afternoon. The Planetarium closes at 5:45.” Riley blinked rapidly.
> 
> “You want to take me to a Planetarium?”
> 
> “That’s…okay, right?” he asked hesitantly. Her smile widened.
> 
> “It’s perfect, Farkle.”
> 
>  

* * *

>  
> 
> **SATURDAY:  
>  **
> 
> It was early December, the snow had just began to fall and tiny flakes were caught in their hair. Riley thought it was romantic, despite knowing they would melt in the auditorium. They were expecting a crowd, but it actually turned out to be quite the opposite. There were only a few other people. It was nice. Riley leaned her head on Farkle’s shoulder and he put his arm around her. They were both nervous, but it wasn’t an awkward kind of nervous, it was an excited kind of nervous. The show wasn’t too long, but it was enthralling. At one point, they even showed Pluto, and even in the dark Farkle could feel the grin on Riley’s face. They walked out slowly after the show, hand in hand. “What was your favorite part?” Riley asked excitedly. Farkle grinned.
> 
> “I liked the part about black holes, and how they’re formed. I knew all that already, but I thought the visual was pretty cool. What about you?”
> 
> “I liked the bit about how all of us are made of stars,” Riley offered. Farkle rolled his eyes.
> 
> “Of course you did,” he laughed. Riley blushed slightly.
> 
> “You want to get some hot chocolates before we head home?” she asked.
> 
> “Sounds good.” Riley squeezed his hand and then let go to skip ahead a few steps because she was happy, and even though she was sixteen now, she still liked to skip when she was happy. It probably wasn’t a good idea to skip on an icy sidewalk, however. She slid and felt herself tumbling backwards until she wasn’t anymore. She opened her eyes to find herself in Farkle’s arms.
> 
> “You okay?” he asked softly. She nodded.
> 
> “Very,” and she pulled herself up to kiss him. His lips were cold, but everything else about it was warm. Her hands on his cheeks, his arms around her, the feeling they both got in their chests. They separated slowly, but his arms stayed wrapped tightly around her. Riley took in his flushed face and red nose and she couldn’t stop herself from giggling.
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “I think I just fell for you.”


	4. How You Get The Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farklemlnkus prompted: “What happened doesn’t change anything" (Angst, and then angst, and then a happy ending)

**SATURDAY:  
**

They’re at a birthday party for a girl they don’t know very well. Her name’s Amber and she’s nice enough. They’re all there: Riley, Maya, Lucas, Farkle, Zay, Isadora, and Charlie. Mostly they huddle together in a group and try to avoid talking to some of the more intoxicated party goers. When Amber announces 7 Minutes in Heaven, Riley clutches Charlie’s hand and stammers to explain that she has a boyfriend and she doesn’t want to play. “Games don’t count,” Amber argues, pushing Riley into her mom’s walk-in closet. A few seconds later a boy in shoved into the closet. He trips and falls into her. She can’t see in the dark, but she can feel his denim jacket and smell the faint raspberry scent of the product in his hair when they collide. “Farkle?” she whispers.

“Riley?!” he whispers back, “Oh my god, Riley. We don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to, I really don’t think anyone one will know.”

“It’s fine, Farkle.” He can’t see, but she rolls her eyes in the dark. They fumble in the darkness and on the first attempt his lips miss hers, and instead he catches the tip of her nose instead. They giggle, and Riley is glad to have shadows hiding her blushing face. The second kiss actually ends up on Riley’s lips. She isn’t expecting kissing him to make her feel so much, but it does. It makes her heart pound and her head spin. There’s electricity tingling in her, right now to the tips of her toes. She puts her hands around his neck, somehow trying to pull him closer. His hands are on the small of her back, hot on her skin where her shirt rides up slightly, accidentally. They break apart breathlessly, but only for a moment before their kissing again. And again. Riley forgets that they’re in a closet. She forgets she has a boyfriend and he has a girlfriend. She forgets that what she’s feeling has an expiration date. They’re still kissing when the door opens. “Having fun?”

 

* * *

 

**MONDAY:**

“We need to talk, Charlie.” Riley pulls him aside during lunch. She can tell from the look on his face that he knows what’s coming. “I’m so sorry, believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you. But I…I don’t think we’re right for each other. I’m breaking up with you.”

Charlie tenses. “Why?”

“I have feelings for Farkle. I think I have for awhile, I just didn’t accept it.” Riley frowns. “I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

 “I know you are, Riley. I appreciate your honesty,” Charlie pauses, and Riley hopes the conversation will end until he opens his mouth again, “Can I just ask you one thing?”

 “Anything.”

“Did you ever like me?” Riley is taken aback by his question. It seems so absurd, “Or was I just convenient for you?”

“Oh, Charlie,” her voice is meek and soft, “I liked you a lot. I still do! You’re kind and funny and cute…It’s just…”

Charlie sighs sadly at the emotions written on her face, “You’re in love with him.”

“I’m so sorry.”

 

* * *

 

**WEDNESDAY  
**

“Cookie?” Riley offers awkwardly. They’re sitting at the bay window. She holds a plate of Snickerdoodles on her lap. “I made your favorite.”

“Thanks.” Farkle smiles and takes a cookie from the plate. Riley sets the cookies to her other side. “So, what’s up? Why’d you call me over? Is everything okay?”

“I wanted to talk about Amber’s party.” Farkle swallows his bite of cookie hard. 

“Oh,” he stares at the photos on her wall, unable to look her in the eye, “We don’t have to talk about it, Riley. It’s fine. What happened doesn’t change anything. I’m with Isadora, and you’re with Charlie. We’re good.” Riley blinks rapidly before forcing a smile.

“Great. Good. Great.”

_Stupid_

.

_He’s with Isadora. He loves **Isadora** , not you. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _

He’s talking about his most recent science project, but she’s only half listening.

 

* * *

 

It kills her, walking into Topanga’s and seeing them together, giggling. But she pushes the pain away and smiles for the others. Isadora makes him happy, and he deserves to be happy. Riley wants him to be happy. It kills her, but it would hurt more to see him unhappy. So she tries her best not to think about it. Maybe she avoids him at school a little, because she knows he’ll be talking about Isadora. Maybe she skips the usual meet up at Topanga’s a couple times a week so she doesn’t have to watch them together. But she never lets it show. She never stops smiling. 

 

* * *

“I know you’ve been avoiding me, Riley. I want to know why and I want to know now.”  Farkle’s eyes search her face and she knows she can’t get away with a lie.

“Because, you’re always either with Isadora, or talking about her.”

“What?”  Farkle’s voice is soft and uncertain. He’s thrown.

“I’m in love with you, and I know Isadora makes you happy and I’d never stand in the way of that, but it hurts. It hurts watching you with her.” It feels good, to finally tell him, even if she knows he doesn’t feel the same way.

“Riley, I…”

“It’s okay. Nothing changes. You said it yourself.”  

 

* * *

  ****

 **TWO WEEKS LATER**          

“Riley!” He’s pounding on the Bay Window. She’s closed them to keep the rainstorm outside where it belongs. “Riley! Let me in!” She does, because he’s wet and shaking with cold.

“What are you _doing_?” she asks, her voice full of concern. He’s dripping on her floor and she knows her parents will be mad, but she doesn’t care. His bangs are stuck to his forehead and he’s still shivering.

“I broke up with Isadora.”

“You _what?_ ” she doesn’t allow herself to hope.

“It’s always been you, Riley. I’ve always loved you and I think I always will. I know I messed up, but it’s only because I never thought you could love me the way I love you.” The words tumble from his mouth breathlessly. “I’m so sorry.” Riley’s words catch in her throat.

“I…”

“I’m in love with you, Riley Matthews,” he reaffirms. Riley smiles, slowly, but warmly.

“And I’m in love with you.”  


	5. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pomerqueen prompted: "Riarkle as fitzsimmons, costumes or actual SHIELD AU. Your choice." (This one is Halloween themed.)

> “Nice costumes, but who’re you supposed to be?” Maya asked with a raised eyebrow. She was dressed in a short white dress, long white wings and a gold halo.  
> 
> “Fitz,” Riley pointed to Farkle, who grinned and pointed back.
> 
> “Simmons.” 
> 
> “Lord have mercy,” Lucas grimaced, appearing behind Maya, dressed head to toe in red. Red horns, red cape, red suit, red pitch fork, red tail, red dress shoes. “Was that supposed to be a Scottish accent?” Farkle glared at his best friend. Lucas shuddered slightly, “Great costumes guys,” he managed weakly, “C’mon on in.” Riley and Farkle followed Lucas and Maya into their living room. The party was already in full swing. _Thriller_ blared from the speakers while famous celebrities, ghouls, and fictional characters mingled and drank. Maya pulled Lucas into the middle of the throng of people, leaving Farkle and Riley to stand awkwardly in the corner. They didn’t really know anyone at the party, but Maya had been pretty adamant that they come to the party. It wasn’t just a Halloween party, it was her and Lucas’s housewarming party. It was their first non-shoebox apartment, so it was kind of a big deal.
> 
> “At least there’s food,” Riley nudged Farkle and pointed to the spread on Lucas and Maya’s dining table, “And hey, maybe we can make a few friends.”
> 
> Farkle snorted. “I don’t think anybody here will get out costumes.” Riley dragged Farkle into the throng, and they found a few people who understood their costumes. There was girl, Anna, who was dressed as Skye. She immediately assumed they were a couple, which they quickly denied. She’d smirked and reminded them, _“Fitzsimmons get together in the end.”_  A reminder which they both elected to ignore—they did get her number, though. The night wore on, and soon enough Farkle and Riley found themselves on the balcony, looking out over the lights of New York City. They were both a bit tipsy, but they both had a surprisingly high tolerance (unlike Lucas, who was a total lightweight, despite his thick build, and was dancing on a table last Riley saw). “Tonight wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
> 
> “It never is.” Riley chuckled.
> 
>  “I’m really impressed with Lucas and Maya. They’re building a life together.” Farkle sighed and scanned the horizon. It seemed like everyone else had their lives together, and there he was, a broke, single, almost-doctor still plugging away at his residency.
> 
>  “Yeah,” Riley leaned into Farkle slightly and followed his gaze over the horizon. “Sometimes I get jealous of everything they have going, you know?” Farkle nodded. “At least you have a job and some kind of plan for the future. What do I have?”
> 
> “Hey, now,” Farkle turned away from the skyline and to Riley, “Look me in the eye,” she did, “You have a degree in political science from Columbia University, and a law degree from the same. So, you’re working at Starbucks temporarily, but you still want to open you own firm. And you’re going to do it.”
> 
> “I don’t know about that, Farkle.”
> 
> “You’re Riley Matthews. You can do anything.” She kissed him. It was abrupt and unexpected and he stiffened at first, shocked and confused, but after a moment his brain clicked back on and he kissed back with everything he had. They pulled back, both slightly breathless.
> 
> “Wow…” Riley started.
> 
> “That was…”
> 
> “Wow…” Riley said again.
> 
> “Do you…I mean…We’ve never really…Um.” Farkle stumbled over his word nervously.
> 
> “I’m sorry, Farkle. We were just…Talking about the future, and I realized that I can’t imagine a future without _you_.” Farkle couldn’t find the words to respond so he kissed her. This time it was less rushed, slower and softer.  
> 
> “I guess Anna was right,” Farkle whispered when they broke apart, “They _do_ get together in the end.”
> 
> “No,” Riley shook her head, “This is just the beginning.”


	6. In The Blink of An Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pomerqueen prompted: "Soulmate au riarkle (anyone you would like maybe words at 18 or full name at 13 onward or something)" WARNINGS: car accidents, angst, tragedy, POTENTIAL character death, ambiguous ending

> _He’s on a beach. His eyes are closed. The sand is warm between his toes. The sound of waves crashing soothes him. The gentle breeze carries the fragrance of mangoes and coconuts. He breathes out. He feels serene, calm._
> 
> “Hey,” Lucas said, coming up behind Farkle. Farkle’s eyes snapped open and he turned in his cafeteria chair to face his friend. Lucas was holding two Styrofoam coffee cups. He pushed one into Farkle’s hand, “French roast with hazelnut creamer and a shot of espresso.”
> 
> “This is why you’re my best friend,” Farkle grinned, taking a long sip, “These sixteen hour shifts are killing me.”
> 
> “Preaching to choir,” Lucas nodded in agreement, sitting down across from Farkle, “But we knew what we were signing up for when we decided to go to medical school, right?” Lucas was an anesthesiologist. Farkle was a surgeon. They met in their first year of medical school and had been best friends ever since.
> 
> “Doctor Minkus?” Farkle looked up to see Doctor Babineaux—Farkle’s boss and an incredible doctor—standing in the cafeteria doorway. “You’re needed for an emergency surgery. I’ll fill you in on the way.” Farkle sighed and left his coffee for Lucas to finish. _So much for a fifteen minute break_. Once they were in the hall Zay rattled off the important details: “Riley Matthews. Twenty-Eight year old female. Car accident. Several broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding and bruising on multiple organs.” Farkle froze in his tracks.
> 
> “Did you say Riley Matthews?”
> 
> “Yeah, so?” Farkle sighed and rolled up his sleeve. A name was written on his forearm in dark orange cursive: Riley Matthews.
> 
> “Oh my god, Minkus. I…I’m so sorry.”
> 
> “Just let me save her.” 

* * *

> “How excited are you to see Uncle Shawn, scale of 1 to 10?” Riley asked, fidgeting with the radio dial. Maya laughed.
> 
> “2.5”
> 
> “Liar,” Riley rolled her eyes.
> 
> “He said he had a surprise for me,” Maya grinned, “What do you think it is?”
> 
> “Art supplies?”
> 
> “Too obvious”
> 
> “New coat.” 
> 
> “This is _Shawn_ we’re talking about, Riles.”
> 
> “Maybe he tracked down Lucas Friar.” Riley smirked. Maya groaned and took her hand off the wheel for only a second to give her friend a light shove. 
> 
> “Shut up!”
> 
> The tree seemed to come out of nowhere. She swerved,  but she skidded on the ice and spun off the road. “Riley!” Maya screamed. There was blood. Red on Riley’s chest and torso, staining her clothes a bright crimson. “No, God,” Maya cried, “Please don’t leave me.” 

* * *

> “Family of Riley Matthews?” Lucas called out to the waiting room. An older couple, her parents, and a twenty something guy with dark curly hair, her brother, Auggie (according to her records, he was a match to her blood type) and a woman his age with long blonde hair all stood. He strode over to them. “I’m Doctor Friar. My colleague Doctor Minkus is currently performing surgery on Miss Matthews.”
> 
> “Just tell us if she’s going to be okay.” The blonde girl snapped. Her eyes were swollen with tears.
> 
> _“Maya_.” The older couple scolded in unison.
> 
> “It’s alright. Riley is stable, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There’s still internal bruising and bleeding.” The blonde, Maya, sunk back into her chair. “Look, Miss..uh…”
> 
> “Hart. Maya Hart.”
> 
> “Miss Hart. She has a really good chance of making a full recovery, and I think you should consider her incredibly lu—“ Lucas froze. “M-maya Hart?” he asked softly. She nodded, visibly confused.  “I’m Lucas. Lucas Friar.” Maya laughed sarcastically. The Matthews all stood still in shock. 
> 
> “Of course. My best friend might be dying and now’s when I meet my soulmate. Just my luck.”
> 
> “It could be worse,” Lucas offered, “You could be Doctor Minkus right now.”
> 
> “What do you mean?”
> 
> “Riley Matthews is his soulmate.” Maya was stunned into silence. No one spoke for a long moment until Auggie broke the silence with a single, drawn out word.
> 
> “Fuuuuuuuuuck.”

* * *

> Farkle was sixteen when he woke up and found the dark orange cursive on his left arm. His parents had told him that it would happen, that the name belonged to his soulmate. They showed him their marks. His father’s was on his right leg, along his shin bone. His mother’s was on her neck, near the clavicle. He spent hours tracing the letters with his index finger, wondering who Riley would be. He imagined hundreds of scenarios of people he could possibly fall in love with and ways they could come into his life. He never thought Riley Matthews would be on his operating table. _I should’ve looked for her. If I’d tried harder, maybe I could’ve met her sooner._
> 
> He sat in the ICU, listening to the beeping of her heart monitor, praying to every god he could think of that she would be okay. She had to be okay. He held her hand lightly. “Please,” he whispered, “Don’t leave me before I have the chance to love you.”


	7. Sweeter Than This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted: "Sweeter Than This, Katie Herzig" (song-fic)

_Life is in boxes in back of our car_  
_Driving around with the dreams in a jar_  
 _And it’s alright here_

 _I want a garden and you want a coke_  
_Livin’ is simple when love is a broke_  
_You can fix anything with a kiss_

 

The apartment is small, just one room. That’s all they can afford for now. Stuart Minkus might be loaded, but his son is not. They’ve just graduated and they’re out in the work force looking to put their degrees to use. So far all they have is a managerial position at a Starbucks (Farkle), and a waitress gig at a cheap Italian restaurant (Riley). They’ve been in that apartment for a month, and moving boxes are still scattered all around. They’re both so busy, between working all day and then finding time to hunt for the jobs they really want. When they do have down time they tend to sleep on the small air mattress they have (can’t afford a real one) or stream Netflix on Farkle’s laptop (they still have Riley’s family’s password).

That night it’s raining and they’re pretending to sleep and listening to the drops pitter-patter on the window—Farkle is the big spoon, and she’s holding his hands. “Are you awake?” Riley whispers.

“Yeah.”

“We’re gonna get through this, right?” she asks softly. It’s not often that Riley admits to being uncertain, but the darkness makes her feel like she can say anything. Farkle sighs.

“We are. Someday we’re going to have a big house—“

“With a bay window?”

Farkle smiles, “Of course. And we won’t be worried about money or anything. We’re gonna have jobs we love. No more waiting on people or clearing tables or making sugary coffee drinks.”

“We’ll have a garden,” Riley adds sleepily, her eyes drooping, “Full of orange flowers.” Farkle tightened his arms around her.

“We’ll have everything you want.”

“I love you, Farkle.” She whispers before her eyes close completely. He presses a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“And I love you.”

 

 _Anything goes when you don’t even care  
When you’re this far in love_  
  
_You read your book, baby, I’ll float away_  
_Takin’ a nap on your lap in the shade_  
_I could hold your hand all day_

 

They do get that big house with the bay window and a garden. Well, it starts off more like a patch of dirt, but Riley pulls the weeds and plants seeds and _makes_ it a garden. That’s what she always does, Farkle muses, watching her as she works in the hot sun. She makes things beautiful. He brings her a lemonade. “Shouldn’t you take a break?” he asks.

She shakes her head, “I have to get as much work done now before I physically _can’t_ do anymore work.” Her hand rests on the her baby bump and he smiles. The garden will be right below the nursery window, and the orange flowers will match the orange walls Farkle painted.

“You can take a five minute break with me and this lemonade. Come sit on the porch swing.” He offers his hand to her and she rolls her eyes and takes it, letting him lead her to the bench. He puts the lemonade down first, and then tumbles onto the bench, pulling her down with him. She leans on shoulder and reaches for the lemonade.

“Read to the baby, Farkle.” He’s been doing that lately, and she loves it. She sips on her drink and he picks up his favorite book to read to his pregnant wife, _The Theory of Everything_ , by Stephen Hawking. She’s read it once or twice before, and he’s read it a thousand times. He realizes, a few minutes into reading, that she’s fallen asleep on his shoulder. He doesn’t have the heart to wake her, so he continues to read in a soft whisper.

 

 _If it gets any sweeter than this  
I don’t want to know_.


	8. I Do Adore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted: "I Do Adore, Mindy Glenhill" (song-fic) WARNING: Riley gets a minor concussion.

> ****_Everything you do it sends me_  
>  Higher than the moon with every  
> Twinkle in your eye  
> You strike a match that lights my heart on fire   
> 
> 
> ****_When you’re near, I hide my blushing face_  
>  And trip on my shoelaces   
> Grace just isn’t my forté   
> But it brings me to my knees when you say   
> 
> 
> __**Hello, how are you, my darling today?**   
>  **I fall into a pile on the floor**   
>  **Puppy love is hard to ignore**   
>  **When every little thing you do, I do adore**   
> 
> 
>  
> 
> _“Oh my god, Riley! Is she okay?”_
> 
> _“I don’t  know, Lucas. She was just walking a-and she saw me and waved and then she walked headfirst into the wall. Oh my god, she could have a concussion.”_
> 
> _“And on the day her dad’s away on a conference, of all days.”  
> _
> 
> _“Farkle, calm down. Zay, you’re not helping. Riley will be fine. She has to be fine.”_
> 
> _“You can’t know that, Maya.”_
> 
> _“Uh, guys…I think she’s moving.”_
> 
> Riley groaned. The first thing she noticed was the pain in her head. She sat up, and almost fell back again from sudden dizziness. Her friends we’re all standing around her, wearing matching looks of concern. “W-what happened?” she asked holding her head in her hands.
> 
>  “You walked into the wall really hard, honey. But you’ll be okay. I already called your parents, and your mom should be here any minute to take you to the doctor.” Maya  sat down next to Riley and wrapped her arms around her best friend. Riley wobbled a bit. Farkle kneeled in front of her.
> 
>  “Look into my eyes, Riley,” he commanded firmly. Still dazed from her momentary black out, she could barely focus, but she tried. It didn’t help that his eyes were so blue and deep that she almost felt sick looking into them, her butterflies were so bad. Or maybe that was the head injury. “Your pupils seem normal, so that’s good. That combined with the fact you were only out for about five minutes suggests only a minor concussion.”
> 
>  “Riley?” Topanga’s worried voice echoed through the school halls. The kids should’ve been in class at the moment—of course Riley would slam her head into a wall on her way to 3rd period, and not at a time when her friends could be with her and not miss class. Murphy’s Law, right? Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. “Riley, baby, can you stand?” Topanga asked, extending a hand to her daughter. Riley stood up on unstable legs, leaning on her mother. “Thank you for being with her, you can all go back to class now.” Zay laughed.
> 
>  “All due respect, Mrs. Matthews, but none of us are going anywhere but the hospital with you.” Lucas informed her. The others nodded in agreement.
> 
>  “This is my fault,” Farkle sighed, “I can’t leave her.” Topanga rolled her eyes. There was clearly no convincing these kids otherwise.
> 
>  “Fine.”  They all followed Topanga and Riley out to Topanga’s car. Maya got in first to help Riley get settled, and Farkle followed Riley, so she’d be in between them. Lucas and Zay squished in somehow, despite there not being nearly enough room. The car ride was a bit of a blur to Riley, if she was honest, but she did remember her hand somehow finding it’s way into Farkle’s. Riley’s next clear memory was after she came home from the hospital. The doctor’s determined that she had a minor concussion and recommended she not be allowed to fall asleep for too long that night. She was warned that she might experience nausea and dizziness, and even fainting, but that was all completely normal. She was sitting in her room, her head still pounding, trying to focus on a TV show when there was a knock at her window. It was Farkle.
> 
>  “It’s not locked!” she called. He nodded and ducked into her room, closing the window after entering.
> 
>  “How are you holding up?” he asked, coming to sit beside her.
> 
>  “I’m okay. Head hurts, but there’s not much I can do about that.” She shrugged, “Shouldn’t you be making up for the classes you missed on account of me being Super Klutz today?” Farkle shrugged.
> 
>  “That’s not important,” he pulled a bottle out of his back pocket, “I know you can’t take aspirin, so I brought you Tylenol.” Riley took it gratefully and set it aside—she’d already taken two when she’d first gotten home.  
> 
>  “That’s sweet, Farkle.” Riley leaned on his shoulder for support. “Did you really come here just to bring me Tylenol, which I know you know I already have?” Farkle sighed.
> 
>  “No, Riles…” he took a deep breath, trying to gather his courage, “I came here to ask you what happened today. Why did you run into that wall?” Riley stood up.
> 
>  “You’ll laugh at me.”
> 
>  “I promise I won’t laugh.”
> 
>  “Or tell anyone else, not even Maya?”
> 
>  “Not even Maya.”
> 
>  “Okaaay,” Riley dragged out the last syllable before continuing reluctantly, “I ran into the wall because I was distracted…because I was looking at you…” Riley trailed off.
> 
>  “I know that, but I don’t under—”
> 
>  “I was distracted by how handsome you are, okay? I have a huge, disgusting crush on you and I was distracted thinking about how badly I wanted to kiss the daylights out of you,” Riley cut Farkle off. “Happy now?” Farkle didn’t speak. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. “Farkle?” Riley asked, concerned, “Farkle are you okay?” Farkle blinked rapidly.
> 
>  “Y-yeah, I just never thought that you…I mean….Wow.” Farkle was in shock. He was almost as dazed as Riley was.
> 
>  “This is where you tell me whether or not you like me back,” Riley guided him, semi-jokingly as she sat back down on the bed next to him.
> 
>  “Are you kidding? Of _course_ I like you back. Where have you been all our lives, Riley Matthews?” He smiled softly.
> 
>  “Well, yeah. But you’ve also loved Maya for just as long.” Farkle shook his head.
> 
>  “No, Riles. I haven’t felt that way for Maya in a _really_ long time. It’s only you.” Riley beamed.
> 
>  “Really?” Riley asked wide-eyed. Farkle nodded. Neither of them could really believe what was happening. They’d long since resigned themselves to unrequited love, but they were wrong. “Farkle, I…” Riley didn’t really have the words to say what she wanted to say, so she grabbed him by his denim hoodie and kissed him, trying to put all the unspoken words into her kiss. They were both slightly breathless when she pulled away.
> 
>  “I should…I should probably go before your parents come in to check on you,” Farkle stood up. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Riley nodded.
> 
>  “Goodnight, Farkle.”
> 
>  “Goodnight, Darling.”
> 
>  Riley sighed happily as he disappeared out the window. She leaned back on her bed and spoke excitedly to no one in particular: “Best. Concussion. EVER.”


	9. Cute Like A Puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted: "You just got your tonsils removed so I showed up with ten pints of ice cream and this might be bad timing but you should know ive had a crush on you for years sHHH DON’T SAY ANYTHING YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK."

> “Okay, I brought you a whiteboard so you can tell me things without speaking, a tub of your favorite ice-cream, mint chip, and some DVDs. Do you want to watch _Return of the Jedi_ or _Raiders of the Lost Arc_ first?” Riley asked as she entered Farkle’s bedroom. He’d had his tonsils out, and she, having been through the experience before, volunteered to spend time with him during his recovery. Farkle grinned at her from his nest of pillows and blankets and pointed at the Indiana Jones film. Riley nodded and tossed her supplies on the bed. She handed him the ice cream tub and two spoons, which he opened quickly and dug into. She grabbed his laptop off his desk, popped in the DVD, and settled in next to him, taking the other spoon and sharing the ice cream. They made it through the entire galloon of ice cream _and_ one and a half DVDs before Farkle fell asleep on Riley’s shoulder. He was still kind of out of it from the anesthesia, so she couldn’t really blame him. Besides, he was too adorable to wake. She watched the rest of _Return of the Jedi_ before he woke up. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” She chuckled.
> 
> Farkle glared at her, and she could hear him explaining his low tolerance to her in what she called his “Science Teacher Voice.” He sat up slowly, rubbed his eyes, and reached for the white board. _“I think I drooled on you.”_ He wrote.
> 
> “It’s alright,” Riley shrugged, “It’ll wash out.”
> 
> _“Why didn’t you wake me up?”_
> 
> “You were too cute.”  Riley said without thinking.
> 
> _“But I missed the end of the movie_.” He stopped writing suddenly and looked up at her. He furiously erased his grumpy complaints and scribbled one word on his board. _“Cute?”_
> 
> “L-like a puppy!” Riley backtracked, but she could tell from the look on Farkle’s face he wasn’t buying it. “Fine! You know how you were dating Isadora last year?” Farkle nodded hesitantly, his brows knit together in confusion. “I didn’t…like it. And it took me awhile to realize why, but then I did. Farkle, I… _like_ you. Like…I like-like you. A lot.” Riley bit her lip and tried to read his face, but all she saw was shock. He opened his mouth, but Riley covered it with her hand. “YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK!” Farkle nodded and Riley lowered her hand. He was smiling. He picked up the board again.
> 
> _“I know I can’t tell you how I feel with words, but can I show you?”_ Riley looked up in confusion. He erased and rewrote his message, _“Can I kiss you?”_
> 
> “Yes.”  


	10. Chocolate Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dontouchmybook prompted: "ooh, can you write a riarkle drabble based on reese's wrappers? idk, i just really like that one, haha."

There’s a Kit-Kat bar on her desk when she walks into history class. The note attached to it reads, _“Thought you might need a **break**.”_ Maya and Zay make fun of it, but Riley thinks it’s cute. There’s a Butterfingers taped to her locker when she goes to get her books between classes, _“I promise I won’t be a butterfingers with your heart_.” Lucas grins when he sees it.

“Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer. Any idea who it could be?” He asks as they walk to Trigonometry, the one class they have together and without anyone else.

“Nope.”

Her math teacher hands her a Milky Way, _“I’d give you more than just the world—I’d give you the entire galaxy!”_ Lucas raises an eyebrow.

“Whoever he is, he _really_ likes you.”

“Yeah,” Riley beams, “I know.” It’s flattering, knowing someone out there has gone to all this trouble just for her. She wonders if it’s someone she knows. Maybe Zay? That would be awkward. Could be Charlie, but she’s fairly certain he has a girlfriend. She spends most of Trig going through all the boys she knows. 

Geralyn hands her an 100 Grand Bar, _“I think you look like a 100 Grand_.” Riley blushes. “Can you tell me who’s doing this?”

“Sorry. I have been sworn to secrecy.”

“Pretty please with sugar on top?” Riley pleads with her best puppy dog eyes.

“No can do, Riley.”

“Fine,” Riley sighs and walks to her friends.

“Farkle,” she says, sitting down next to him, “You’re a genius, right? If anyone can figure out who my secret admirer is, it’s you.” Farkle’s eyes widen for a second before he speaks.

“I’ll see what I can do, Riles. No promises, though.” He shrugs.

“You really have no idea who it is?” Zay asks, taking a bite of his sandwich.  

“Not a clue.”

The next candy comes after English class. Janitor Harley hands her a pack of Nerds, _“You’re wondering who I am. Maybe this will give you a clue_.” She laughs. _So you’re a nerd_. She’s still laughing when she sits down next to Farkle at the chemistry bench.

“What’s so funny?”

“Apparently, my secret admirer is a nerd,” she tells him, holding up the candy. Farkle smirks.

“How does he know you want to know who he is?”

“Maybe he just assumed? Or he heard me asking Geralyn. Or he heard us talking at lunch.” Farkle looks like he’s going to say something, but he’s cut off by the late bell and class starting. Neither of them mention the Secret Admirer until after class. Farkle runs up behind her as she’s walking towards her locker to meet Maya.

“Hey, Riles! You have a minute?” He tries to be casual, but there’s a hitch in his voice that almost gives him away.

“Sure, Farkle. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to give you this,” he says nervously, holding out a Reese’s, “I know they’re your favorite candy, so I, uh.” He clears his throat, “I thought I’d save the best for last.” Riley smiles slowly.

“I hoped it was you,” she says softly, reaching for the candy. As her fingers reach the orange wrapper, his hand curls around hers and he pulls her close. His other hand comes up to caress her cheek. He leans in, then pauses.

“Is this okay?” he whispers.

“Very,” she answers breathlessly before closing the distance between them.


	11. Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Musiclovver3 prompted: "Disneyland roses please." (I created Ellie, and Farkle’s step-sister Marissa for the sake of this AU. Marissa is NOT a Minkus. Farkle’s mother, Jennifer, remarried when Farkle was 16, and Marissa was her new husband’s daughter.)

> Farkle was not the biggest fan of Disneyland. He knew it was the Happiest Place On Earth and all that jazz, but between the blistering Los Angeles sun, the throngs of people and screaming kids, and his aching feet, he was about ready to call it a day. “Okay, Ellie. What do you want to do next?” He asked the little girl with whom he had been roped into spending the day. She tugged him along, her eyes scanning the park for her last ride. She stopped suddenly, gasping.
> 
> “Look!” She pointed straight ahead to a long line of people waiting to meet a young woman in a yellow ball gown. “It’s Belle!”  Ellie looked up at her uncle with big brown puppy-dog eyes. “Please, can we meet Belle?” she pleaded. Farkle smiled.  
> 
> “I don’t see why not.” Internally he wanted to be doing anything else than standing in the hot sun waiting to meet some random would-be actor in a tacky princess dress. The line took almost an hour and a half, but Farkle had to admit, seeing the pure joy in Ellie’s eyes was worth it.
> 
> “Hello, my name’s Belle,” the face character greeted them, with a bright smile.  
> 
> “I’m Ellie!”
> 
> “Oh, is that short for Cinderella?” Belle asked, and gestured to Ellie’s blue dress. Farkle chuckled.
> 
> “No, it’s Eleanor,” Ellie answered. She looked up at the princess, “Can I have a hug?” 
> 
> “Why, of course!” Belle knelt down and took Ellie in her arms. Farkle snapped a quick picture before they separated. Belle came back to her feet and seemed to notice Farkle for the first time. “Ellie, is this your Daddy?” she asked. 
> 
> “No, he’s my Uncle Farkle. He doesn’t like Disneyland.” Belle was appalled.
> 
> “But it’s the happiest place on Earth!”
> 
> “He doesn’t like the crowds and the heat.” Ellie said matter-of-factly, “Says it’s not worth it.”
> 
> “We’re just going to have to fix that,” Belle grinned. Farkle felt his stomach drop, though he had no idea why. “Meet me in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at six o’clock.” Farkle blinked rapidly. _Did a Disney princess just ask me out?_
> 
>  

* * *

>  
> 
> Farkle was ten minutes early to meet Belle.  His stomach was in knots. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous, for anything. He leaned against the castle wall and waited. He was somewhat surprised when she showed up in denim shorts and a white tank top. He hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and her face was wiped clean of the exaggerated princess makeup. Farkle’s breath caught in his throat. She was gorgeous. “H-hi.”
> 
> “Hi, yourself,” she smiled brightly and Farkle was sure she could hear his heart pounding in his chest.
> 
> “So, _Belle_ ,” he started, realizing he didn’t know her actual name, “How exactly do you plan on teaching me to love Disneyland?” She laughed and it was possibly the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. _I am so screwed._
> 
> “My name’s Riley,” she told him, taking his arm and leading him away from the castle. “I want to show you something.” He sighed and followed her towards Mainstreet. “So,” she started as they walked, “If you hate Disneyland, why did you bring your niece here?”
> 
> “I don’t _hate_ , Disney. I just don’t think the heat and the crowds are worth it,” Farkle shrugged. “I brought Ellie because her mom—my step-sister, Marissa—needed a day to herself, and Ellie loves Disney.”
> 
> “Ellie might be smarter than you,” Riley chuckled. Farkle rolled his eyes. She took him through Mainstreet to the Main Gate.
> 
> “You’re leading me _out_ of the park? You sure you know what you’re doing, Princess?” Riley rolled her eyes. She lead him right up to the floral Mickey Mouse face.
> 
> “I want to show you the flowers,” she explained, gesturing to the Disneyland roses. “Aren’t they beautiful?” Farkle had to admit, they were.
> 
> “Yes, but that’s horticulture, not Disney magic.” Riley narrowed her eyes.
> 
> “What about the thousands of kids who come in through those gates and see these roses before they see anything else in Disneyland? Aren’t the smiles on their faces a kind of magic? I know people who’ve searched high and low for this variety of rose for their gardens, just to have a little piece of the Happiest Place on Earth at home. These roses are just as iconic as the castle.” Farkle was speechless. She wasso _passionate_ about Disneyland. It just radiated off of her. “I know your heart isn’t made of stone. I saw your face when Ellie hugged me earlier. Those kinds of memories are the real Disney magic.” Farkle bit his lip.
> 
> “You’ve got me there, Princess,” he admitted, “I’m a changed man.” Farkle put his hands up in defeat. Riley grinned.
> 
> “Good. I could never date someone who didn’t like Disneyland.” Farkle choked on air.
> 
> “ _Wait, really?!”  
> _
> 
> “Unless you don’t want to date me,” she added quickly. 
> 
> “Are you kidding me? Of course I want to date you.” She held out her hand to him. 
> 
> “Then what are you waiting for? Sweep me off my feet.” 


	12. Darling, I'm A Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> farklemInkus prompted: could you write a drabble on orange paint?

“Remember, after lunch we’re having a very special guest presenter from Minkus International, who’s going to talk to us about renewable energy,” Riley called as her students filed out of the classroom for recess. As the last kid filed out, she set to work on cleaning the mess of paste and colored paper they’d left behind. It was a Friday, which meant Arts & Crafts. That day’s project had been paper plate animal masks. She’d cut the plates in half, given them eye holes, and let the kids go at it with whatever they wanted: paint, glitter, fake feathers, construction paper, markers, and even cotton balls. 

Riley loved Arts & Crafts with the kids, but she did not love the mess. Especially because she always ended up just as messy as one of the desks. She had orange paint on her hands, a fake feather in her hair, and glitter on her face. She was scrubbing the last desk clean of paint, even though her hands were still orange, when her classroom door opened and a young man walked in. He was tall and thin. His brown hair fell in his dark blue eyes and he wore a crisp white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves,a very nice grey waistcoat over it, dark wash jeans, and a silver rolex. He carried a brown leather messenger bag. Riley swallowed hard. “Miss Matthews, I presume?” he asked. Riley stuttered. She pawed through her fair for the feather, pulling it out and shoving it in her pocket in one fluid motion. 

“Uh, y-yeah. That’s me. You can, uh, call me Riley,” she answered and held out her hand for him to shake, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks. 

“Farkle Minkus. I’m here to talk to your students about renewable energy.”  He took her hand. Riley tried her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

“Minkus, as in…?” Riley didn’t even finish her sentence before he answered.

“Stuart Minkus is my father. Ever since I graduated from MIT a few years ago, I’ve been working on making his company green.” 

“That’s certainly admirable,” Riley said in awe, dropping his hand. 

“So is teaching,” he countered, looking down at his hand. Riley’s eyes widened.

“Oh my gosh!” Riley exclaimed, “My hands are covered in orange paint, and now so is yours. I am so sorry.”

“It’s fine, really–”

“Here, there’s a sink at the back of the classroom,” Riley grabbed his arm to lead him towards it, before stopping suddenly and dropping his arm. “I did it again!”

“It’s..It’s really fine,” Farkle coughed nervously. “You just lead the way, and I’ll follow.” They made their way to the sink and washed the paint off their hands (and arm, in Farkle’s case).

“I’m so sorry,” Riley apologized for the millionth time. She really did feel bad, even if it was water soluble paint.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Riley. It’s just a little paint.” Riley nodded.

“I still feel bad,” she sighed, “But I guess we should talk about your presentation.” She strode to the front of the classroom, and Farkle followed close behind. “So, you have the whole space, and the white board. I’ll be at my desk,” she pointed towards it, “over there.”

“I’d like to show the kids a powerpoint presentation,” he gently patted his messenger bag, “Do you have the hook up for that?”

“Yeah, over to the left.” Riley gestured to the small table where he could put his laptop and plug it into the projector with a wide swing of her arm. Her hand connected with Farkle’s face.

He reeled back, cupping his eye gingerly. “My eye!”

“Oh my God! Are you okay? I am so sorry. I don’t what’s wrong with me today. I’m not usually this clumsy, I swear.” Riley was clumsy, but she didn’t usually get paint on someone _and_ hit them in the face in such a short time. She looked over at Farkle. He was leaning on a desk, holding his eye, but he was still as handsome as he had seemed when he walked in the classroom. _Okay_ , she admitted to herself, _I know exactly what’s wrong with me._

“I think you gave me a black eye!”

“Oh no!” She walked over to him, “Let me take a look at it.”

“Okay.” He nodded. She gently pulled his hand away from his eye. His eye was watering and there was a bit of red around it. She hadn’t realized how blue his eyes were until she was inches away from them. They were dark and deep, like oceans. “So?”

“W-what?” She shook her head slightly.

“How is my eye?”

“I don’t think it’ll bruise.” Honestly, it probably would bruise. But Riley hoped it didn’t.

“You’re an optimist.” Farkle laughed. Riley looked down at her feet. “No, it’s okay. I like that.”

“Oh.” The corners of her lips turn up in a smile. “Is there…Is there anything I could do to make up for your eye…and the paint?”

“It’s fine,” Farkle shrugged, “Really.”

“There has to be something,” Riley protested, “I feel awful.”

“Fine, if you insist. Take me to dinner,” He suggested. “I’d say the price of a good meal just about covers the damages.”

“D-dinner? You mean…Like a date?”

“If you want it to be.” He shoved his hands in his pocket nervously. Riley couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face. He wanted to go on a date with her. This handsome, charming guy, wanted to go on a date with her, even after she covered his hands in paint and gave him a black eye. “So, uh,” He cleared his throat, pulling her from her thoughts, “Do you want it to be a date?”

“Oh! Yes!” She answered quickly, and then, after taking a moment to catch her breath, “I would love that.”

“Fantastic! Tomorrow n—” The shrill chime of the bell cut off his words. Lunchtime was over.

“We’ll talk after class,” Riley promised him as her students filed into the classroom. “Welcome back, kids. As I said, we have a very special guest here from Minkus Industries, please give Mr. Minkus as much respect as you give me.”

“Thank you, Miss Matthews,” Farkle turned to the students. “Now, who can tell what it means to be ‘green’?”


	13. Out of The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> moesha prompted: creamsicles (a story from when they were younger, please?)

When Riley Matthews was eight years old there was heatwave across the entire eastern seaboard. It was so hot the asphalt melted underfoot and stuck to your shoes. The air was thick and still. The entire city felt stifled. Riley felt suffocated. Every where she went the hot, heavy air weighed down on her. Even inside it was hot. The power went out and the last drops of cool air drained from the apartment buildings and grocery stores within hours. Food spoiled and sheets went forgotten every night. She was on her back on the floor of her bedroom, staring up at the ceiling, looking for patterns. She wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead before they dripped into her eyes. Someone knocked on her window and she sat up slowly. Her brows knit together in confusion. Maya was visiting her grandparents in New Jersey. “Who is it?” She called cautiously.

“Farkle! Please let me in!” A labored voice came from her fire escape. She opened the window without hesitation.

“What are you doing here?” She asked as he crawled in the window. She slammed it quickly as soon as he was all the way in. It may have been hot in her room, but it was hotter outside.

“I brought you Creamsicles, but they all melted on the way here.” He shrugged his backpack off, “They’re in here.” She wrinkled her nose.

“They can stay in there. I don’t want melted ice cream in my room.” Farkle seemed disheartened by the less than enthusiastic look on her face, and immediately Riley felt guilty. “It’s the thought that counts, though, isn’t it?” Farkle nodded. “And you thought to bring me my favorite popsicle. Thank you, Farkle.” She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

Farkle blushed and grinned, “You’re welcome, Riley. I’m sorry they melted.”

“That’s okay. Like I said, it’s the thought that counts.” They fell into silence for a moment, both too hot to think of more words.

“It’s soooo hot in here,” Farkle whined after a minute, breaking the silence.

“Isn’t it hot in your house?” Riley asked.

“No. We have air conditioning.”

“But the power is out all over the city! That’s what my mom said.”

“We have a backup generator, so we still have power.” Riley’s eyes widened. She thought even rich people like the Minkuses would still be suffering in the heat.

“Can we go to your house?” She asked excitedly, “Please?”

“Okay,” Farkle nodded, “And we have more Creamsicles at home!”  Riley grinned.

“YAAAY!” 


	14. Chemistry 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted: Can you write something were Maya, Lucas, and Zay start noticing Riley and Farkle's chemistry and think something's going on between them?

“Why didn’t you tell us you were dating Riley?” Zay asked, as he and Lucas strode towards 

“I’m sorry what?!” Farkle turned to his friends in shock. 

“Come on, man,” Lucas chuckled, “You’re not as subtle as you think you are.” 

“We do have eyes,” Zay added. 

“Riley and I aren’t dating.” 

“Oh, really, then why were you holding hands this morning?” Zay asked. 

“And why were both of you missing during lunch? What were you doing?” Lucas inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

“We were working on a chemistry project together!” Farkle protested. 

“Well, you’re not lying about the chemistry part of that sentence,” Zay quipped. Farkle rolled his eyes. 

“There is nothing going on between me and Riley.” 

“But you want there to be, don’t you?” Lucas asked. Farkle sighed. 

“Yeah. Yeah I do.” 

 

**_Meanwhile_  **

 

“Hey, Riles?” Maya asked from her perch at the Bay Window. 

“Yeah?” Riley glanced up from her chemistry book. 

“You’d tell me if something had happened between you and Farkle, right?” 

“Of course.” 

“So…What were you two doing during lunch? And why were you holding his hand?” 

“We were working on a chemistry project,” she pointed to her book. 

“What about the hand holding?” 

“That was just…I don’t know what that was. It just sort of happened.” 

“Do you like him?” 

“Yeah. Yeah I do. But I don’t know how he feels.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”


	15. Tryouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous prompted, "Could you try writing something where riley and zay are both trying out for cheerleading? (not romantic)" 
> 
> This one only has background riarkle, but I still want to put in here because it's a prompt fill.

“I don’t know how I let you talk me into this.” Zay bent down to touch his toes, stretching out his calf muscle.

“You’re a dancer, Zay! And the squad needs someone heavier and stronger for the bottom of our pyramid since Jasmine left.” Riley rolled her eyes and Zay’s scowl. She bent her arm behind her head to stretch her tricep.

“I’m a ballerina, Riley. Cheerleaders and ballerinas are natural enemies.” Zay argued.

“And you’re ridiculous,” Riley switched arms, “Besides, I’ve seen the way you look at Clarissa. Natural enemies, my foot.” Zay blushed.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Isaiah Babineaux, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Riley scoffed, “You like her! And if you’re on the cheer squad, you’ll be able to hang out with her more.”

“I don’t like Clarissa! Clarissa who? I don’t even _know_ Clarissa,” Zay paused when he noticed the skeptical look on Riley’s face. She was buying it in the slightest. “Alright. Fine. I like her.”

“Aha! I knew it!” Riley grinned. “Now, we have ten minutes until tryouts begin. You don’t have much competition,” Riley glanced around the room at the other prospective new cheerleaders, each doing their own unique warm ups, “but there’s only one open slot, so you better give it your all.”

“Hey, if you can make the squad, _I_ can make the squad. No offense.”

“It’s f—”

“Riley!” Farkle cut Riley off as he entered the gym, with Lucas and Maya in tow.

“Farkle!” Riley ran to him, engulfing him in a hug and pulling back just long enough to give him a quick peck on the lips. The rest of the group rolled their eyes in perfect sync. “I missed you.” She giggled.

“I missed you, too.” He pressed another kiss to her lips.

“Seriously?” Maya frowned. “It’s been, like, an hour and a half since you two saw each other last, not six months.”  

“They probably can’t hear you. They’re in their own little world now.” 

“Ah, young love.” Zay smiled. He turned away from Riley and Farkle, and towards Maya and Lucas, “Did you guys come to cheer me on?”

“Of course!” Lucas slid his backpack off his shoulders and pulled out a rolled up poster. He unfurled it to show it read “GO ZAY!” in big green letters.

“Thanks, man.” Zay smiled even wider, and pulled his best friend in for a hug. 

“Hey, I painted that thing!” Maya protested. Zay pulled her into the hug as well.

Soon, Riley and Farkle had separated, the coach had entered the gym, and tryouts had begun. Zay did really well, but so did the others. Even Riley, who had been so confident earlier in the day was unsure, though she never let it show for even a second. Tryouts lasted two hours. 

“Results will be posted tomorrow morning,” Coach Kelly announced before walking out of the gym.

The next morning a throng of people stood waiting outside of Coach Kelly’s office. At 7:45 exactly, the door opened, and Coach Kelly pushed past the teenagers with a sheet of plain white printer paper in hand. She tacked it up on the bulletin board. There was a single name typed across the top.

**_ISAIAH BABINEAUX_ **

“You made the team!” Riley exclaimed. Zay blinked rapidly in disbelief as the rest of his friends congratulated him.

“Zay?” A feminine voice broke through his thoughts.

“C-Clarissa. Hi.” His broke slightly, but he pushed through.

“Congrats on making the team.”

“Thanks,” Zay bit his lip.

“Maybe, uh,” She glanced down at her feet, “Maybe we can practice together sometime…”

“Really?!” He cleared is throat, “I mean, erm, that would be nice.”

“How’s this afternoon, right after school, in the gym?”

“Yeah, okay.” He nodded.

“Great!” Clarissa smiled. “I’ve got to get to class, but I’ll see you later!” And then she was gone.

“Were you just talking to Clarissa?” Lucas asked, bewildered.

“Yeah…”

“Why is your voice all weird?” Farkle asked.

“I’m going to practice cheer-leading with Clarissa.”

“So?” Maya asked.

“He _likes_ her.”

“Ohh,” The other three said in unison. Riley turned to Zay.

“So I guess I was right?” 

“Yeah, you were right,” Zay admitted, “Cheer-leading isn’t so bad.”


End file.
